A half blood Freak
by h1999l
Summary: Remus Lupin has just began teaching at Hogwarts, trying to keep his past behind him. But somehow he can't seem to figure this one girl out... Meanwhile, Sirius Black is on the loose, and quiet Luna Moon may not be what she seems... R/R Please tell me what you think! A RL/NT story!
1. Prolouge

The wolf was crouched behind a bush, hidden by its summer-green leaves. It was staring at a street, empty, quite usual for the hour, but for a small patch of moonlight that bathed it in an almost immortal glow. The wolf growled. The target should be here. The woman said is would be soon…

There! The wolf turned its head at the sound of crunching gravel to see a young woman walking happily up the road. He'd been watching her for many nights, and each night she found her way down this path. The wolf's eyes glinted in anticipation. It had to be her.

Tonight the woman was dressed in her usual attire, a long black cloak, boots, her hair a color he didn't care to observe, and a pair of block pants to match the cloak. The rest of her attire was hidden under her cloak, not that the wolf cared to see. He watched as the woman stopped and stared happily at the moon. The wolf could've chuckled to himself. She was the one.

He almost stepped out of the bushes, but he stopped himself. He had to be sure. A pair of hands, invisible even in the moonlight snaked around his neck. "That's her." The voice was familiar to the wolf. The woman with the black hair. He felt the woman lean closer to his ear. "The freak deserves to die."

The wolf understood the words and began his attack. Slowly… Slowly… The prey wouldn't realize it until the last moment. This was the wolf's way. The wolf was almost behind her when his paw hit a branch. Crunch. The woman turned, slowly, her back rigid with fear. As her eyes caught sight of the wolf, the wolf pounced. As he was flying through midair, he happened to catch her eyes. Widened with fear, showing a reflection of what was to be the last thing she saw. The full moon.


	2. Chapter 1

Remus Lupin was nervous. His hands shook, his eyebrows twitched, and he couldn't seem to stay in his seat. Now, by character, Lupin wasn't a very nervous man. In fact, some might call him brave. He had certainly faced more frightening things than this, but for some reason, his being in the large hall frightened him very much indeed.

This wasn't his first time in the hall, (he'd been there many times before), so no onlooker could possibly have understood where the poor man's nerves were coming from. If they had to guess, they would say his clothes. A faded, patched, brown tweed coat that had seemed to seen many years, and a pair of brown trousers, a shade darker from the coat made up the man's appearance, making him seem scruffy, poor. The onlooker would simply conclude that Lupin was insecure, and distressed about his apparel. Others might say that it was Lupin himself that was causing his nerves. His skinny frame was covered in scars and scratches, some more recent than the rest, and he seemed years older than his age. He seemed to have been in many fights, or had a rather nasty cat at home. A man like that was bound to be nervous wherever he goes, so his shaking was no mystery.

But as said before, Remus Lupin was no coward, and surly not insecure. It was nothing at all about himself that troubled him, in fact, not even the hall. The cause for Remus Lupin's nerves were not of the hall, but rather, what was soon to be coming into it. Just the thought of what he would encounter in a few moments made him very nervous indeed.

Remus Lupin was beginning his first year of teaching at Hogwarts School or Witchcraft and Wizardry. Having attended there himself, he had jumped at the chance when a position opened up, the former teacher resigning for a reason he hadn't yet discovered. He had heard rumors, of course, (as it was impossible for a devoted reader of the paper such as himself not to,) about the 'cursed position' and such, but he wasn't a man for rumors, and strictly dismissed them. Although he had his doubts, he was thrilled when the letter came bearing his acceptance, and it was all a whirlwind from there.

He had been quite excited, until up to the very moment before the children were about to enter. The children, (over 500 of them he was told) were split into four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, represented by the four long tables that ran down the length of the hall. He had been a Gryffindor boy himself, and had caused much grief and trouble during the years (most of which he was not proud of) and along with his friends had been a nuisance for the teachers. He hoped that his former experience would save him from students schemes, but somewhat expected to find himself a victim in the next few days.

His mouth went dry as the doors of the great hall began to creek open, the chattering of the students could now be heard. The other teachers seated at his table stiffened, their own chatter ceased as the students began to pour in. Lupin gulped. It was now truly his duty as a teacher to observe the children as they walked in, to make sure they didn't get into trouble. He severely doubted many would, as few students caused harm on the first day, and tried to straiten himself up as much as possible. For now many eyes were on him, and it didn't make him feel comfortable the least.

To distract himself, he kept his eyes trained on the crowd of bobbling students, looking for a certain child. Black hair, his mind thought, and soon located the individual.

The boy seemed to have been in his third year, his black locks stuck out at odd angles. He was the perfect copy of his father, someone Lupin had known, just like everyone described. He knew hidden under that hair and glasses was the famous scar he'd heard so much about. The boy was Harry Potter.

Lupin felt a pang of sadness while looking at the boy, for he were a perfect combination of his parents. Harry Potter was a good boy, as he had been told, and Lupin was to be looking forward to having him as a student.

He listened half-heartily as the first years were brought in and sorted, a fair amount to each house, and the headmaster began his speech. He could see that the students were very anxious for him to finish, for their long journey surly had made them hungry.

As the headmaster neared the end of his speech, he warned about the dangers of the forbidden forest (for the ones that couldn't tell from the name) and to stay away from the willow. Lupin shuddered at that, as he had spent some unpleasant times there, and the headmaster delivered the end of the speech. "I'd like to welcome Professor Remus J. Lupin, our new Defense the Darks arts Professor, and invite you to enjoy the feast!"

Lupin felt some pride at the words, he was a professor, and despite the curious eyes, turned his attention to his food. Tomorrow he'd get to meet these students, and hope that he'd made a good first impression. But today was his last day of peace, and he truly intended to enjoy it.

As the new professor began to dig into his meal, he failed to notice the shocked student sitting at the back of the Gryffindor table, staring at him with wide eyes. Even if he did happen to notice her, he would have never predicted how shocked she truly was. For the girl sitting at the table started at him for the rest of dinner, her eyes open, her mouth agape. For this girl was truly shocked indeed.


	3. Chapter 2

The girl stared at the professor in shock. How could that be him? The headmaster had hinted that the professor would be someone she knew, but she had expected someone like Moody or that man at in diagon alley. Never would have she expected him!

The girl narrowed her eyes. Was it possible that the man wasn't him, but another? The man sitting at the teachers table could be his twin, but even she knew that that wasn't likely. Headmaster Dumbledore was extremely choosy with his staff, going into what she had heard many lengths to make sure they weren't former deatheaters. And the way the man had stood when Dumbledore had announced his name, (quite shakily, but proud) only convinced her more so that it was him.

She closed her eyes. She had thought by coming to Hogwarts, she would be safe. Hidden from the outside world. If anyone found out her secret… She shuttered at the thought. Only Dumbledore and a select few staff members knew of her secret, and that was risk enough. Now with Lupin here, it would only be a matter of time before he uncovered her secret. And if she knew one thing for sure, that was one thing that could not happen. No one could ever know. Ever.

She suddenly realized that she had been staring at the Professor for entirely too long, and dinner was now over, the students beginning to head for their dorms. Her own meal had remained uneaten, but any appetite she had had been lost. She slowly gathered her belongings, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to herself, all of while keeping her eyes trained at the table. She watched as the headmaster began his way back to his office. She felt a flash of anger. She had a bone to pick with him. In a flash, she had gathered the rest of her belongings and was marching down the hall to the headmasters study. He had some explaining to do.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLL

'Don't you dare tell him!' A voice pierced Lupin's ears as he climbed the stairs that led to the headmasters study. There were some things he needed to discuss with him. He hadn't expected a student to be there already. The marauder in him made him freeze at the doorway and listen to the conversation. '-deal T-'

Dumbledore was saying, only to be interrupted by the child. 'Don't you dare say my name!' The voice was shrill and feminine, and altogether angry. Lupin had heard many a voice like that, although it often had resulted from something James had done.

Lupin heard Dumbledore sigh. "Well then Miss Moon-should I call you?-' the girl grunted in agreement, 'Its up to you who you tell, unless you prefer-' Lupin almost sensed the girl shaking her head. "No. Nobody had to know. I have to go. It seems you have a visitor." Her words were spoken coldly, and Lupin froze, knowing he was discovered. He straitened up and marched into Dumbledore's study, as there was no use hiding now. The girl whipped around, grunted a farewell and marched out of the room, but not before Lupin got a good look at her. He almost gasped, for she was a strange sight indeed.

Her robes looked old and torn, hanging open at her chest to revel a bright orange sweater. Her pants were horribly mismatched, a sickly shade of green. But what really caught his attention was the mesh cap that she wore on her head, concealing nearly all of her hair but for a strand of black that hung over her eye. Most people would find her attire strange, but Lupin found it different. The outfit and the girl reminded him of someone else, someone who he had been trying to forget. But try as he might, he couldn't stop the memories from coming. And they came, in full blast.

'Moony! Moony!" The black head of his mischievous friend barreled towards him at full steam through the halls, dragging someone brightly colored behind him. His friend came to a stop in front of him, grinning like a maniac. "Moony! Look! This is my cousin Nymphadora. She just transferred from Hollowie!" The girl rolled her eyes at her cousin. "Its Hollows, Sirus, and I told you not to call me Nymphadora, its Tonks." She was looking at Lupin now, and stuck out her hand. Lupin took it and shook it gently. "I'm Remus." Sirus ran a hand through his hair beside her. "I was saying, this is Nynphadora, who prefers to be called by her maiden name, Tonks." Tonks shoved her cousin in the gut. "Sure you did,' She turned to Lupin. 'So, Your friends with this freak?" Lupin laughed. 'Unfortunately." Tonks laughed, her colored hat slipping slightly. Lupin noted that it was unusual how the girl covered her hair completely, especially when the rest of her apparel was so unusual and bright.

_Sirus gazed at the two happily. "See Tonks, I told you I'd make you some friends." His eyes followed a group of girls that passed them. "Have fun!" With that Sirus had sped away, leaving Tonks and Lupin standing there in silence. _

_Tonks watched him leave. "Prick." Lupin nodded. "Can't believe I know him." She nodded. "Can't believe I'm related to him!" The pair chuckled. Lupin raised his eyebrow. "So, Hollows, huh?" Tonks rolled her eyes. "Some local school. They had it rigged." Lupin narrowed his eyes, confused. "Rigged." Tonks nodded. "I was expelled." _

_Lupin glanced at her warmly. "Sound like a tail I might want to hear." Tonks giggled. "I told them it wasn't my fault I blew up the library, but the books had it coming…._

Lupin blinked, wishing the memory away. It was strange how much the 'Miss Moon' reminded him of Tonks, but he decided to let it go. He had to keep Tonks out of his mind. Dumbledore glanced up at him.

"Oh, hello Remus. Sit. I was just explaining to Miss Moon that Hogwarts would keep her quite safe." Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Moon?" The headmaster nodded. "Luna Moon. Her parents were killed before the start of her first year. She stays here during holidays, and doesn't take kindly to strangers."

Lupin nodded. "That's terrible." He felt a pang of sadness for the girl, having to lose her parents so young, but also felt relieved. Some part of his mind felt that Dumbledore might say the girls name was Nymphadora Tonks, and was releived when he said otherwise. Still, the likeliness was almost disturbing…

"What can I do for you?" Dumbledore asked. Lupin searched his mind. What had he come here for? Oh yes.

"Professor Snape-he shivered at his name- said you had my key?"

Dumbledore nodded and handed him an old fashioned brass key. "The old defense room. I trust you'll find your way there?" Lupin nodded. "Thank you Professor. I'd best be on my way." Lupin turned to leave when the headmaster stopped him. "Oh, and Remus,' Lupin turned, 'The boggart you requested can be found in your office." Lupin smiled, already planning his first lesson. 'Thank you Professor."

Lupin began the long walk to his classroom, his earlier nerves turning to excitement. Soon enough he would be teaching a lesson, real teaching! He wished that time would speed up so he could meet the children- and possibly get the chance to talk to Harry the very least. As he walked down the hall, he realised there was only one thing that gave him trouble. That girl-he just couldn't wrap his head around her. Somehow the conversation and Dumbledores explanation didn't add up. Who was Luna Moon? And just what about didn't add up? Lupin unlocked the door to his office, one thing on his mind. Whoever Luna Moon was, he was going to find out just what about her made her seem so familiar.


	4. Chapter 3

She was called Mouse. Known for her quietness, shyness, and almost incapability to speak. Of course, no one called her it to her face, but she heard the whispers, although there were few. You see, Mouse was one of those people that easily blended into the background, a wallflower if you will, and she was happy just the way she was. How else was she supposed to keep her promise to Dumbledore and- well, that was an entirely other matter, but none of less, she was perfectly comfortable with being, well, a mouse.

Of course, mouse wasn't her real name, as even the cruelest of parents wouldn't name their girl mouse. Her real name, or at least what she told everyone was her real name was something sort of dreadful. Luna Moon. Kind of ironic, if you considered her situation. Mouse preferred being referred to as mouse over Luna, or at least that was what her classmates thought. The truth was, Luna 'Mouse' Moon didn't prefer to be called Mouse at all. In fact, a few short years ago, all her friends had called her Tonks.

Nymphadora Tonks was her true name, not Luna, nor Mouse, or even Moon. 'Luna Moon' was just a character she'd made up for her own protection, as well as for others safety. But the truth was, Tonks hated the name, and would give anything to be called Nymphadora once more, even if it meant having her own life at risk. In fact, she would have reveled herself long ago if it wasn't for two very important reasons. Reason number one; the deal. Three years ago, Dumbledore had offered her protection at the castle, if only she do one thing: watch over Harry Potter. She'd accepted it readily, too scared to return home and began her task at the beginning of the school year, disguised as a first year, to watch over Harry Potter. It wasn't such a hard task, although the boy seemed to have a knack for trouble.

In first year it had been oh-too easy to follow Potter through the wards that guarded the stone. It had been her that alerted Dumbledore once she realized that Quirrel was really the dark lord in disguise. In the second year, when everyone had been fretting about the Chamber of Secrets, she had been the one to discover that Potter had gone down to rescue his young friend. Of course, no one knew it was her, and she liked it that way. That way no one would be able to trace her, innocent little Mouse, to the famous Nymphadora Tonks that had gone missing on the night of the full moon. So when third year rolled around, nothing could have prepared her for what she had to face. Lupin. Remus Lupin.

Lupin was a member of the select group of friends she had hung out with at her own years of school, the only member of the staff that could possibly blow her identity. Not that she would have minded though, but her second reason got in the way. It was a very good reason for not have seen one of your best friends in three years, a reason she wasn't likely to give away. So she made an oath to stay as far away from Lupin as possible, and tone down her colors while in his class, try to stay as low profile as possible.

But as we all know, things never happen as we'd like.

It just so happened that the first day that Tonks stepped into Lupin's classroom, was the day that he decided that they had to learn about boggorts. Stupid fate. It looked like Tonks would get her cover blown after all. For she knew as sure as her hair was pink (and for most of the time it was, but hidden under a cap) that her boggort would be Lupin himself, laying dead on the floor. And then he'd know. Then Lupin would know who she was, and would want to know why she went away… which once again, would be lovely, but reason number two got in her way.

Tonks sat quietly in the back of the classroom as the kids lined up to get their chance at the boggort. Tonks figured that if she stalled enough, she wouldn't be able to evade the encounter with the boggort.

One by one, the children took their turns. Ron Weasley was scared of spiders, Patty whats her name afraid of snakes, and for some reason or the other, Nevil Longbottom was terrified of his grandmother. One by one the line grew shorter, until Tonks was forced to join, and then to the point where it was only she and harry left.

She saw a flash of fear pass through Lupin's eyes, and understood. Harry Potter, the boy who lived must be afraid of you-know-who. And if the 'dead' dark lord appears in the room, people are bound to freak.

The boggort readied itself in front of Harry and began to transform. Tonks could make out a shadowy figure, almost the shape of a human, almost, but not quite, almost like a-

Then Lupin stepped in, between Harry and the boggort, and it began to change shape. To a longer, more solid, humanlike form, with pink hair… In a flash, Tonks found herself in front of the Professor, willing the shape to go away. She knew what his boggort was, and felt a flash of hope. If his boggort was who she thought it was… well, she knew it wouldn't be pleasant for the children to see.

She stood facing her boggort, ready to banish it into the depths of whatever hole it came from. She hoped to do it quick, so Lupin wouldn't spot what it was, but shockingly for her, it began with a voice.

_Nymphadora…_ It whispered into her ear, so only she could detect it. _Nymphadora…_ Tonks's eyes widened. She knew that voice. No, no, no. Her boggort couldn't be-

Suddenly, without warning, the boggort took shape and transformed into the person who caused all her misery and despair. She saw Lupin's grip on his wand tighten as the figure approached. She hissed under her breath. "Greyback." The wolf man grinned at her toothily, \his fangs growing. "You can't hide. We know where you are. We're coming to get you…" Tonks felt a flash of anger. "NO!" She roared, completely out of character for her nature. "Riddiculaus!" She shrieked, her spell hitting the man directly in the chest. "I hope you rot in askaban you slimy git!" She hissed at the vanishing figure.

It took her a few seconds to realise that the whole class was staring at her, dumbstruck. She felt her cheeks redden as she stared down at her feet. "Sorry." She muttered. "He killed my parents."

She walked to the back of the classroom, cursing herself and her life. How could she be so stupid? Lupin would clearly know now, if not that something was off.

Reason number two of why she can't tell Lupin.

Tonks was a wearwolf.


	5. Chapter 4

Remus Lupin sat stiffly in the stands, trying to ignore the feeling of claustrophobia as the students clustered around him. It was a cold, dreary day, the deep gray clouds in the sky suggesting rain. To sum it up, it was the perfect day for the first quittage match.

The professor watched as the teams flew around the fields, warming up for the game. It was Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor, and if tradition held, Gryffindor would be the declared winners. It was not that Hufflepuff was bad, it was just that Gryffindor was supremely… better. Lupin had heard the stories about their young seeker, and with Harry Potter on their team, Lupin was sure that Gryffindor would win the house cup.

His eyes found themselves roaming the stands, eventually picking out a flash of color among the stands. Miss Moon. It had been nearly a month since the boggort incident, and he was still curious about the girl. The students may have wondered about her boggort, but Lupin would have know the man without knowing. Grayback. The very name gave him the chills. Grayback, the bloody werewolf that had bitten him when he was barley six, the one that had ruined so many lives as well as his own. Grayback, the man (more monster) that had killed Luna Moon's parents and had left her so frightened that he appeared to her as a boggort. Lupin could only imagine what the poor girl had seen…

He shook his head. It wasn't his business of what the girl had seen. Yet, he had to admit it was curious that Grayback had targeted her family in particular and had left the girl unscathed. It wouldn't have surprised him if the girl turned out to be a werewolf, or at least part. But he'd hadn't seen any signs that the girl was one, and in a way this made him glad. The girl reminded him too much of his late friend Tonks. Her clothes, the way she waved her wand when she practiced spells in defence… If she turned out to be a werewolf, it would be a little too much for him to bear.

"Hey Remmy, watch this!" Lupin turned to see his friend Tonks, hanging upside down from a tree branch, her now yellow hair streaming to the ground. Lupin rolled his eyes at her. "Your going to hurt yourself!" He cautioned. He heard Padfoot snicker behind him. "Yeah, Dora, Moony wouldn't want you to get hurt!" Tonk's face, as well as her hair, reddened as she jumped down from the tree. "DON'T CALL ME DORA SIRUS!" Tonks' cousin chuckled. "You lost your cap Nyphie." Again Tonks' face turned red as she snatched her hat of the ground and hastily stuffed her hair into it.

_ "I just don't get why you cover your hair Tonks." Called James lazily as he lounged under the tree. "Its quite cool." Tonks didn't seem fazed. "Its bad enough you four know I'm a freak, I don't need the whole school finding out."_

_ Lupin raised an eyebrow her. "Freak? Your no freak. Now Prongs on the other hand-" Lupin was interrupted by a shoe smacking him in the head, accompanied by a loud 'hey!' Sirus snickered and nodded. "I agree with Moony. His little Tonkie-Wonkse is not a freak." Both Lupin and Tonks faces turned red as they both sent a glare at the offending person. "Shut it." _

_ Tonks trotted over to where Lupin was sitting and plopped herself in the grass across from him. "Moony, Padfoot, Prongs… Even Pete has a nickname, and I'm around more then he is!" The three boys exchanged a glance. Here comes the question… Tonks sighed. "Whats with those stupid names anyway? I thought that I was one of you. Where's _my _name?" The three boys stiffened, two of their gazes locked on Lupin. Should they tell her? Lupin sighed. She's going to have to find out at some point._

_ "Well, Dora, you see-" Tonks cut him off. "I know Remus is a werewolf. 'Moony' makes sence. But what about the other names?"_

_ Lupin froze. "You k-know?" Tonks nodded. "Yeahl I think its quite cool. What I wouldn't give-"_

_Lupin held up a hand. "How do you know?" He demanded. The girl shrugged. "You get sick around full moons, your friends call you 'Moony' and you hate astronomy. Its either that or your hiding your secret obsession with the moon." The three boys stared at each other in shock. They had only known Tonks for four months and she had pieced it together. Lupin's eyes widened. "And…you don't care?" Tonks shook her head. "Nope. I think its kinda cool. I'd love to be one. Then I could join the freak club like you guys."_

_ Lupin shook his head. "You don't want to be a werewolf Tonks. Its dangerous and extremely painful-"_

_Sirus nodded. "Besides, aren't you already a freak? You know, being a metamorphagus and such." Tonks smiled. "Yeah, I know. But then I would be a pure-blood-freak." _

_ Lupin gulped. "But Tonks!" The girl raised a hand. "No buts. Now tell me. Padfoot and Prongs. How did you guys get your names?" _

'_Padfoot' smirked. "You see Tonksie, me and dear Prongsie over here decided that we wanted to help Moony…._

Lupin sighed as he watched the kids begin to play. Tonks would have claimed to love being a wolf, but in reality, he'd known she would have hated it. It would have ruined her dreams of becoming an auror… Yet a small part of himself knew that if she had been a werewolf, perhaps everything would have been different. Perhaps she wouldn't have died…

He shook off those thoughts, Tonks was dead and nothing would change that. He had tried to forget about her for the last few years, but seeing Luna Moon each day only made it harder to forget. Not to mention that his boggort had undoubtfully taken the shape of Tonks… He sighed. He had to stop thinking about her. It would only make his days worse.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. Lupin jumped up to see quittige pitch filled with demeanors. A quick glance down at the field told him that Dumbledore was getting the kids off the pitch, but he couldn't spot harry. He glanced at the sky, almost fearful, to see the boy surrounded by demeanors. The other teachers had already cast their patronus, but none had reached Harry. Lupin waved his wand and watched the familiar wolf dance into the air and head for Harry. He just hoped that it would get there in time.

Another scream pierced the air as Potter suddenly slipped from his broom and began plummeting towards the ground. Lupins heart thudded in his chest. Surly, magical or not, no boy could survive a fall from that height.

And just when he was sure that the boy was doomed, the strangest thing happened/ The boy began to slow. Lupin watched in amazement as Harry hit the ground softly, no doubt one of the other professors work. But that wasn't the strange part. Dancing above Harry Potter were not one, but two Wolf patronous. Lupin watched as the two, nearly identical, touched noses disappeared. Something seemed very fishy to him, very fishy indeed. But he didn't put a lot of thought into it at the moment, and instead focused on getting the panicked students inside. But a small part of his brain replayed the two wolves dancing in the sky together. It was nearly impossible for two people to have the same patronus. And for the particular partronus to look so much like his… Lupin decided he would investigate the matter later and focus on getting the children inside.

And through the whole confusion, no one noticed Luna Moon slipping her wand quietly back in her robe while Professer Lupin escorted them back to the castle.


	6. Chapter 5

Tonks glanced at Lupin curiously from the back of the classroom. He was talking about some type of goblin or another, stuff she already knew but would have to write a ten page essay on later to prove it. It was times like this that she considered blowing the whole thing off and telling him, just to escape the writing that would come later. But even if Lupin knew who she was, she'd know the git would make her do double, if he had any marauder left in him. She herself found it hard to resist the lure of a prank, especially since Snape's hair glistened to duly in the dungeons… She closed her eyes and shook out any thoughts of what she could do to the horrible teacher. If she was going to keep her cover, which was becoming harder and harder to do by the day, she would have to stay in character. Even if it meant she would have to allow Snape to berate her in class.

While Snape posed some challenges, Lupin was a whole other issue. She often found herself wishing for their school days, when she and the marauders ruled the school. She and James and Sirus and Peter and Moony… Oh yes, her dear Moony.

Out of all the marauders, Moony and Tonks were the closest, so close to the point that many children at the school had thought that they were dating, even though the two of them both furiously denied the fact that they even liked each other that way. To Tonks, the marauders were her family, her brothers that she had never had. Except for the exception of Peter, who Tonks absolutely despised, she loved the Marauders, and that was that.

She sometimes hated Harry for what he had done to their group. In one short night, two of her best friends were killed, Sirius was put in Askaban, and Moony was knocked into a pit of despair that had taken her years to pull him out of. And there was that little matter of Peter being killed, but she suspected it was his own doing. Why else would anyone suspect Sirius of murder?

Ok. She had to admit that it was a little suspicious that Sirius was the Potters secret keeper. As a former Auror, she knew that all the facts pointed to Sirius being the guilty party, but it didn't add up. Sirius had practically lived for his daily visits to the Potter house and had often raved (most times drunk) that he would beat up (in his words) any bloody snake that got near the Potter house. So Tonks couldn't understand just why her cousin had given up the Potters location, then gone and killed Peter. She'd been at the scene. He was laughing his head off, and she couldn't understand why.

But none of less, Tonks believed that Sirius was innocent. And now that he had escaped (the ministry was going ballistic) Tonks fully intended to help him. After giving him a good beating of course. But unfourtanly, she knew that Padfoot was too stupid to figure out where she was, and even if he came to Hogwarts, there was no way she could contact him without blowing her cover. Harry was her top objective. She had to keep him safe.

She sighed, knowing just how good a job she'd done at that. She should have recognized the cold, damp air as a sign that demeanors were near. When she finally had produced a patronus of her own, it had been too late, and the poor boy was already falling. To make it worse, Moony had produced his patronus at the same moment, making the two almost identical wolves dance in an almost protective circle around Harry, somehow slowing his fall, but sadly not enough to avoid him breaking his bones. The boy had been out for almost a day now, and Tonks couldn't help but think it was her fault.

To make it worse, Tonks was sure that Lupin knew that something was up with her, if the boggort didn't set him off, her wolf would! But strangely, Lupin seemed to not show any suspicion to her at all. Which made her more convinced that he knew who she is, since it was unlike Moony to take this long to figure things out. Back in their school days, he could always see through her morphs, even strangely when she'd morphed into 'Minnie' the transfiguration teacher and head of the house, and scared Sirius and James stiff when she'd caught them in a prank.

She sighed, and stared at Lupin somewhat dreamily. Teaching suited him, just like being an Auror had suited her. She had to admit he looked mighty dashing in his uniform, and somehow his torn robes made him look sort of dreamy. But she didn't fancy him. No way no how. Even Tonks knew that it was rather revolting for a child at her supposed age to fancy a teacher, and even if she wasn't undercover, he was a friend, and fancying him would be gross.

She jumped, along with the rest of the class at the sound of the bell. She mentally groaned. She had double potions next, and since Potter was still in the hospital wing, she would have nothing to do but listen to Snape moan on about some potion. She glanced at the time. If she ran, she'd have just enough time…

She quickly scooped her books up and rushed out of the room, not even bothering to write down Lupin's homework, and headed strait for her destination. While she was nearly there, she stumbled into the nurse who seemed to just be leaving for her lunch.

The woman grumbled angrily as Tonks scrambled to pick up her things. "Sorry, Ms. P." Tonks muttered, trying to disguise her smirk. The nurse glanced up sharply, a warm grin spreading across her face. "Ah, Miss Moon." The nurse gave her a wink, "Finally decided to take your potion?" Tonks reddened and resisted the urge to back away. She didn't need another reminder of what was going to happen in two days.

"No… I was accually coming to visit Mr. Potter." The nurse chuckled at Tonks's rushed explanation. "Someone want to make sure their little godson is doing fine?" Tonks reddened even deeper and nodded. "I was hoping you could give him this." Tonks thrust a package into the aging nurse's hands. She wished that the old bat would quit mentioning the G-word. It reminded her of what a horrible godmother she was.

The nurse was quiet for a moment before bursting into a grin. "Sure thing Miss Moon." Tonks spun around and began walking away as fast as she could, nearly breaking into a sprint in hopes of avoiding more words with Nurse P. She hated being around her. It reminded her of full moons and Halloween, two very bad things that shouldn't ever be mixed.

Reason number three of why she couldn't revel her identity.

She was Harry's Godmother.


	7. Chapter 6

The man sat hunched over at his desk, finally finished grading the last few papers. It was times like this that made him question the very reason he became a teacher, and why in the heavens he had to give so much homework? He sighed to himself, knowing that soon his third years would be arriving, and with them, more papers.

Remus Lupin glanced at the clock, which told him he only had a few minutes to set up the classroom for his next lesson. Normally, a less advanced man would have spent hours preparing for the upcoming lesson, even with the aid of his wand. But Lupin wasn't a less advanced man, and in minutes the classroom was ready for the next class. Luckily, he would only be teaching them how to stun, which he doubted that they didn't already know, but it would still be amusing to see them do it anyway. A man like Remus Lupin deserved some amusement in his life, and the marauder in him (or perhaps it was the approaching moon) prompted him to make his class humor him.

He glanced up, pleased with his work of converting the classroom into a dueling floor, to the sound of the door banging open, and three angry teenagers walked in. Well, not all of the three were angry, just one. And it was no surprise to see Harry Potter, back from the hospital wing, looking very angry indeed.

The boy seemed to be venting to his friends. "How could he not have told me?" His expression tightened. The girl with the bushy brown hair reached out to him. "Perhaps Dumbledore didn't know…"

Harry shrugged her off. "He had to have known! I just can't believe that… she … wouldn't take me in!"

The red headed boy beside Harry sighed. "Maybe… you know… she-um- couldn't find you, mate." Harry's eyes flashed with anger. "She said she's my bloody _Godmother! _Why does she pick now to find me? Why didn't she come get me before?"

The three continued to debate, but the professor was no longer listening. _Godmother? _He could only think of one woman that had earned herself the title of becoming Potter's godmother. But she was dead. There was no possible way she could have contacted Harry…

"Harry." Lupin interrupted the threesome's talk. "You got contact… from your godmother?" Harry looked surprised for a moment that the professor was listing. "Yes, Professor." He said somewhat timidly, as Lupin was beginning to discover the boy was around most adults. "She wrote me a letter." The boy blinked. "When I was sick." He drew a piece of parchment out of his bag. "You don't think she might be dangerous, do you?"

Lupin snatched the paper out of the boys hand. It was a simple piece of paper, much like the ones he and his friends had once written messages to each other on. On it was a single sentence, signed by a single name. It went like this;

_Dear Harry._

_I heard you've gotten into a bit of trouble. Perhaps this will help you._

_Signed,_

_Your 'fairy' Godmother._

On the back, written in rushed print read;

Oops, almost forgot. Place the feather in your potion next time in Snapes class. It should achieve some interesting results.

Lupin drew in a sharp breath. It was not the content that surprised him (any student would want to take out snape) but the writing itself. Long and loopy at the l's and g's, but short and stubby at the vowels. It was unmistakably Harry's godmother's writing, which proved that she was… alive.

Lupin blinked, suddenly noticing that he had been staring at the parchment for entirly too long. "No Harry. Your parents chose your Godmother for a reason." Lupin handed the paper back to the boy. He hesitated before telling the next part. "She was your mother's best friend."

A look of realization washed over Harry, and Lupin could see how he visibly relaxed. "Thank you professor." The three friends flounced off to do what kids do, leaving Lupin alone to think. So Harry's Godmother was alive… And knew how the boy was doing… Lupin sighed and rubbed his temples. It was a lot to take in.

"Tonks, will you come here a second?" Remus and the other men in the room looked up at Lilly as Tonks trotted over to the tired woman. Lily had had Harry over a week ago, but still remained relatively weak, thanks to James' insistence of protecting her.

"_Yeah, Lils?" Tonks asked, morphing her hair a luxurious brown, making Lily chuckle. "I have something I'd like to ask you." _

_Tonks perched on the end of the couch. "Anything for my bestie." The redhead grinned, and closed her eyes for a second. "Since James got to pick Harry's Godfather," Lily sent a glare at Sirus, "Its only fair if I get to choose my son's Godmother." Again Lily paused, as if saying the words had some sort of effect on her. _

"_Since you're far more likely to let Harry have a good life if anything… happened to us," She sent a meaningful look to James, "We were wondering if you'd like to be Godmother."_

_The room sat in shocked silence for a moment, watching Tonks as her whole face turned pale. Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape, the first time in ages the Marauders had truly seen one of they're own shocked. _

_Then Tonks broke out into a grin, her hair turning a happy bubblegum pink. "Of course I will Lilly!" She gushed, giving her friend a hug. "As long as he doesn't call me 'godmother'. Do I look like a plump old fairy to you?" The rest of the room laughed, while Lupin contemplated to tell her that no, she didn't look like a plump fairy, that she did look quite beautiful indeed, sitting by the firelight. In fact, he probably would have told her this if Sirus Black wasn't in the room, as it would have probably earned him a punch in the mouth. Sirus was overly protective of his little cousin, to the point where the poor bloke that had asked her to the dance in sixth year regretted it, and that was only scratching the surface…_

Lupin knew that if somehow Tonks was alive, (which if he knew his friend, she would be) she would do everything to keep her promise to Lily, that she'd keep Harry safe. Lupin wondered where she was, and maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to see her again. And perhaps he'd find out for once and for all why the pretty girl left, although he almost feared the reason why. You see, after three years of mourning, Lupin couldn't help but feel that Tonks's disappearance was sort of his fault.


	8. Chapter 7

It's funny. Tonks thought as she studied herself in the mirror. How strange it was to see her reflection.

Now, it was not like Tonks was one of those freaks that believed mirrors were cursed, not did she have any vampire in her blood and just couldn't see her reflection. In fact, she had glanced in a mirror the day before. But she was glancing into it as Luna Moon, not Nymphadora Tonks.

It felt almost weird to be her own size again. Not the cramped, small feeling she got from being Ms. Moon, but actually feeling normal, more like herself. And she had to admit it felt good, despite having no morph at all.

When Nymphadora Tonks wasn't in a morph, she was in what she liked to call her natural state. And for very good reason.

Her wavy, brown-black hair hung to her shoulders, a few curls cupping her heart-shaped face. She had her natural brown eyes and sharp, pointed eyebrows. Add on her pallid skin and you've got the perfect image of a Black. Which was exactly why she was never seen looking like this. At least, not willingly.

But the days when Tonks would run around sporting bright pink locks and lavender eyes were far behind her. Even if she had the strength to morph herself pink hair, she doubted that anyone would recognize her. For Tonks now looked a lot different than most would remember.

Now, her normally vibrant eyes were dull and bagged, her skin even paler than usual, her hair hanging limp at her side, and of course, that awful bite mark at her shoulder.

Tonks forced her eyes away from the mark and sank into the bed. The full moon had been the night before, and bringing with it new scars. She was lucky enough to be able to morph them away, along with all other signs of her abnormality, but when the full moon rolled around, it was too much.

She'd discovered the first moon just how painful being forced out of your morph could be, although nothing compared to the pain of transforming. It was those nights, those lonely nights cooped up in a room in the shack, that she truly feared. How easily she could have broken through the defenses, how simple it would be to kill someone. She finally understood Moony's haunted look each moon before the moon rose. It was the not knowing that hurt the most. Not knowing if she would survive the night… or if others would be safe.

She glanced at the clock silently, knowing that she would have to go. She couldn't afford the wrong person see her there, especially if Professor Lupin would be coming soon.

She made her decision, and with a sigh, stood up and morphed herself back into student form. She felt her bones shrink, soft and delicate compared to the night before, and soon Luna Moon was back, staring tiredly into the mirror.

Tonks quickly used her wand to transform the hospital gown into her signature clothing, and resentfully tucked her hair into her cap. It killed part of her to do that, cover up her hair, while all she wanted to do was turn it pink. But she couldn't risk exposure, and her hair turning bright red in the middle of class certainly wouldn't work.

She walked quietly towards the exit, hoping that annoying nurse wasn't there. But to her disappointment, the plump old lady stood blocking the exit, her arms folded in a disapproving way.

"You shouldn't have done that." The lady snapped, giving Tonks a glare that would have made most students cower in fear.

Tonks ignored it and crossed her arms as she glared back. "Done what?"

The nurse's nostrils flared. "Gone and morphed yourself back of course! I swear, one day you're going to kill yourself-"

Tonks rolled her eyes and stopped the blubbering woman with a wave of her hand. "I'm fine. My morphing isn't going to _kill _me." To prove her point, she made her hand grow in inches and change colors.

The nurse seemed to not have heard her. "I just don't know why you refuse to take your potion-"

Tonks was about to retort when a voice interrupted their conversation. "Is it safe for me to enter?"

Both women stiffened at the voice. Tonks's blood ran cold. Remus. She sent a cold look at the nurse before turning to stride out of the hospital wing.

The nurse walked over to the doors and held them open. "Come in Remus." Tonks walked quickly past the Professer, their gazes meeting for a moment. Back in her school days, something like that would have made her weak in the knees. But Tonks had grown a lot since her school days, and something like meeting her old friend's eyes didn't effect her at all.

Lupin looks tired and weak, Tonks mused as she stepped around him and into the hall. She knew that the moon had taken its toll on him, and felt the familiar tug to grab his hand and tell him that everything was going to be alright. Her old friend needed comfort too, and it was becoming harder and harder not to run back in there and give him a hug.

She huffed to herself and focused on other things as she headed for the common room. It was one of the downsides to doing the mission for Dumbledore, not being able to revel herself. She'd seen how sad he looked in the past few days, which she knew was from overhearing Harry talk about the little note she'd left him, and despite her not wanting Moony to know her secret, she found it harder and harder not to revel herself.

Although the day before the moon was usually an awful bore, Tonks's day was definetly brightened when her Godson used her little present to turn Snape's hair pink. It had earned the poor boy detention, but seeing Snape attempt to scare students with that bright pink hair of his was downright amusing.

Tonks drew out of her thoughts when a loud bang echoed through the hallway. Her eyes darted to the fallen item, this time a knight, and the figure that had knocked it over. She stepped forward, her earlier pain forgotten as she laid eyes on the intruder. She felt a smirk rise on her face as she morphed, leaning herself against the wall, waiting for the intruder to notice her.

"Sirus." She stated emotionlessly, staring with her arms crossed at the man. Sirus's eyes locked on her, while somewhere in the background someone screamed.

"Tonks." He breathed, seeming to take in her image. Tonks nodded, allowing herself to break into a smile. "Welcome back Pads."


End file.
